Got zucchini? Pair it with lemons in a cake

By Susan Selasky
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Jul 27, 2018 at 7:00 AM

Soon gardens will be awash in zucchini. At first, it begins to trickle in and then — bam! — zucchini is suddenly everywhere.

Neighbors drop it off on your doorstep. Co-workers dump it on break room tables with friendly signs: “Help yourself” or “free” or “please take.” What they’re really saying is: “I can’t take these anymore.”

If you don’t have a garden or never think about zucchini, consider the summer bounty a blessing. Zucchini is versatile and you can use it in a host of recipes, including zucchini breads, cakes and loaves.

Today’s cake calls for pairing it with fresh lemons. The two play nice together and are a natural pairing. Lemon zest and juice go into the batter and more juice is used for the sweet glaze.

I came across the recipe on Facebook. It was one of those posted with a video showing how to make it. The recipe is from the blog momonatimeout.com.

On the easy scale, I’d give the cake nearly a 10. The prep time is minimal, but a bit of time and effort goes into making sure you squeeze most of the excess moisture out of the shredded zucchini. To do this, you will need to put the zucchini in between several layers of paper towel and press on it. This is a moist cake and too much excess moisture will make it soggy.

I thought it was interesting that the recipe calls for almond milk. Every once in a while, I buy almond milk, especially when it’s on sale, and I’m always interested in trying it in different recipes.

At one time, almond milk was a rare find at grocery stores. Now it commands prime shelf space. With almond milk (and other nut milks) keep in mind that not all are the same. There can be big swings in calories. There are also sweetened and unsweetened versions. Be sure to read the labels. In this recipe, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, which has 40 calories per cup.

Something else interesting about this cake: It calls for olive oil. But don’t worry. The olive oil doesn’t affect the flavor and helps make a tender crumb.

This cake, without the glaze, will freeze beautifully. Wrap it in plastic wrap, then in foil and place in a freezer safe bag. You can also freeze individual slices.